Lubricating means for sewing machines



R. L. PLUMLEY LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES Original Filed May 19, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 NW N m m EH 0 v awn ml A 0 R. L. PLUMLEY LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES 'arch 13, 1934,

Original Filed May 19, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \A W WWN l NVENTOR Q 64 v/M/mZ Pll/MZZ BY g/M M ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 13, 1934 LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES Raymond L. Plumley, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Frederick Osann Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application May 19, 1927, Serial No.

192,698, new Patent No. 1,891,605, dated December 20, 1932. Divided and thisapplication August 2,1929, Serial No. 382,860

10 Claims. (Cl. I 184-45) The general object of the present invention is to provide improved lubricating means for sewing machines, especially devised andadapted for use in sewing machines operating at high speed. A more specific object of my invention is toprovide novel lubricating means characterized by their simplicity and the effectiveness with which they automatically distribute oil from a common reservoir at the proper rates to a multiplicity of sewing machine bearings, to some of which oil should be supplied at rates materially greater than it is desirable to supply oil to others. Further objects of the present invention are to provide suitable lubricating provisions, which may well receive lubricating oil from the common reservoir above referred to, for certain bearings, which, because of the special location or form of the bearing parts, are difficult or impossible of suitable lubrication by means of lubricating passages and provisions'of customary form.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the use of my invention in connection with an overseaming machine especially devised for fur stitching and some features of the present invention are peculiarly adapted for use in sewing machines of that type. More general features of the invention, however, are adapted for use in practically all types of sewing machines.

The various features of novelty which characteiize my invention are pointedout withpartioularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages and specific objects attained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated the use of a preferred form of the present invention in a fur stitching machine of the type disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 1,891,605, granted December 20, 1932 on my prior application Serial No. 192,698, filed May 19, 1927, of which the present application is a division.

Of the draWings:-

Fig. 1 is a plan view, With a portion of the sewing machine casing removed;

Fig. 2 is an elevation in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial plan in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and v Fig. 4 is a sectional view of one of the connecting rods of the sewing machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The frame Work or housing of the fur stitching machine shown in the drawings, comprises a main box-like portion A, a removable front porgranted April 28, 1933, on nay-application Serial my said prior application.

B, and a cooperating crown gear D secured to a shaft D journaled on trunnion pivots D mounted in the housing wall A. The gear B rests upon the upper end of the bearing A The shaft D is intermittently rotated by mechanism including a crank disc on the main shaft H of the sewing machine, a connecting rod-G, levers F and E, and clutch means for'alternately locking the lever E to, and disconnecting it from the gear D. Said mechanism need not be described in detail herein as it forms no part of the present inventiombut is disclosedin my said prior application and its novel features are claimed in my Patent 1,802,477,

No. 382,861, filed August 2, 1929, as a division of The main driving shaft H of the sewing machine, is 'journalled in bearings formed in the housing A.

Cooperating with the feed disc C is an outer feed disc C journalled on a shaft C the lower end of which is secured to a bent arm or goose neck I. The'goose neck I is secured to parallel rods I and I which slide in bearings formed in the housing wall A. The lower bar I is notched or recessed at I to receive the upper end of an arm I secured to a rock shaft I so that the rotation of the latter will move the goose-neck I and thereby move the feed disc C away from or return it towards the feeddisc C. The feed disc C is normally urged toward the feed disc C with the desired work holding force by means of a tension spring I connected at one end to the end of a second arm I of the rock shaft 1 and adjustably secured at its other end to the machine housing by a bolt I The rock shaft I may be turned to move the feed disc C away from the feed disc C by a third arm --I secured to the rock shaft I and projecting through a slot A formed in the rear. wall of the machine housing.

The needle bar J carrying the needle J at its front end, is 'slidin'gly-mounted in bearings in the front and rear walls of the housing A. The bar -J is given itslongitudinal reciprocations by means of an arm U pivotally supported by ashaft U and connected to the needle bar by a link U .pivotally connected at one end to theend of the arm U and at its other end to an arm J adjustably clamped on the needle bar. The arm U is oscillated by a connecting rod W pivotally connected at one end through a pin U to the arm U, at a point intermediate the end of the latter and the shaft U. The other end of the connecting rod W is pro-- vided with a split eccentric strap portion W surrounding an eccentric disc W on the main shaft H.

A bent looper M is adjustably secured to a looper bar M, and the latter is rotatively mounted in a movable looper supporting frame or member M The member M is given its movements by a crank shaft M journalled in a stationary bearing, and provided at one end with a crank arm M carrying a crank pin M which passes through a bearing formed on the member M adjacent the front end of the latter. At its opposite end the crank shaft M has a crank arm M carrying a crank pin M to which is connected one end of a connecting rod M At its opposite end the connecting rod M is provided with a split eccentric strap portion M fitting about an eccentric crank disc M carried by the main shaft H of the machine. At its rear end, the member M is formed with a bearing for a pivot pin M carried by a link arm M having a shaft portion M journaled in the machine housing, or rather, as shown, in a bracket A adjustably secured to the housing member A.

The looper bar M is oscillated about its axis as in my prior Patent No. 897,486, by means of an arm comprising a yoke or hub portion M detachably clamped on the bar M, and an extension M carrying a earn roll M received in a cam slot M formed in the side of a cam disc cam M carried by the main shaft H. The stitch forming mechanism shown comprises various provisions for adjusting parts to compensate for wear and to adjust the looper path of movement and to adapt the latter for use in a machine operating at high speeds, but such provisions need not be described herein as they form no part of the invention claimed herein, and are disclosed and claimed in my said prior application.

In any sewing machine and particularly in a sewing machine of the type described, when operated at the relatively high speeds for which the machine shown was especially designed, the matter of proper lubrication of the various bearing surfaces is a matter of much practical importance. In accordance with the present invention proper lubrication is efiected by means including an oil reservoir X with a multiplicity of outlets X, each discharging oil to a corresponding pipe Y leading to an oil receiving space formed in or associated with the particular bearing or bearings receiving oil through said pipe. As shown, the oil reservoir X is in the form of a shallow receptacle formed in the casing cover part A and provided with a hinged cover X Each reservoir oil outlet X, as shown, is in the form of a hole of proper size formed in the bottom wall of the reservoir X. Each hole X, as shown, is counter-bored or enlarged at its upper end, and receives in said enlargement a wad or mass Z of felt or the like, by which the oil is filtered, and which serves also to retard the flow of oil through the outlet to the pipe Y connected to the lower end of the hole. By suitably proportioning the sizes of the enlarged retarding material containing portions of the outlet openings X, a gravity oil discharge at the proper rate to each of the difierent bearings may be obtained, even though one of such bearings may require but a single drop of oil during a period in which another bearing requires twenty or more drops of oil. In general, there is a separate reservoir orifice X and pipe Y for each bearing to be lubricated, and associated with each bearing is a corresponding oil receiving space YA into which the corresponding pipe Y discharges. The spaces YA preferably contain felt or' the like which slowly passes the oil received. Such of the spaces YA as are formed in eccentric straps or other reciprocating parts are suitably elongated so that a portion of each such space will always be in position to receive oil from the corresponding pipe Y.

As shown, all oil employed for lubricating the bearings for the shaft B, and for lubricating the gear teeth on the gear B is supplied through a single pipe Y which delivers oil to the upper end of a bent pipe YB secured to the housing framework and having its lower end discharging into a depression A formed in the upper face of the part in which the bearing A is formed, at the margin of that bearing. As shown, the shaft B is formed with a groove B in its outer surface leading from the depression A down through the bearing A In consequence, some of the oil received in the depression A passes down through the groove B and films over the top of the gear B Some of this oil reaches the periphery of the gear and flows down over the teeth of the gear B thereby lubricating said teeth and the teeth of the crown gear D. Another portion of the oil reaching the top surface of the gear B passes through an opening B formed in the gear, to the bearing surface at the top of the part in which the bearing A is formed.

Another pipe YC secured to the housing member A and receiving oil at its upper end from a corresponding pipe Y'delivers oil at its lower end into a groove U formed in the upper side of the link U by which the lever U is connected to the needle bar J, the oil thus supplied lubricating the pivotal connections at the two ends of the link U The bearing for the lower end of the lever U is lubricated by means of oil supplied to the receptacle or space YA formed in the eccentric strap portion W of the connecting rod W, and a channel W formed in the latter, through which the oil passes down from the eccentric bearing surface in part to the bearing for the pivot pin U and in part to a transverse oil pipe W discharging into an oil space U formed in the hub at the lower end of the lever U.

The cooperating bearing surfaces of the crank pin M andconnecting rod M are lubricated by oil supplied through a channel M in the rod M from the bearing surface of the portion of the rod surrounding the crank disc M To secure the desired oil flow through the channel M which is necessarily inclined upwardly from the crank disc M to the crank pin M located at a higher level, the channel, or at least the portion thereof adjacent the bearing for the disc M is inclined in a certain direction to the plane connecting the axes of the disc M and pin M as shown in Fig. 4. The direction of the inclination is determined by the direction of rotation of the disc M and is such that the centrifugal force the channel M is such that its end in the bearing 1'or't..,,- disc- M faces toward and not away from the direction from which any'point on the periphery of the disc M approaches it. The rate at which oil is passed through the channel M is increased by the pocket M into which the channel opens formed in the convex bearing wall at the side of the channel from which the oil approaches.

While in accordance with the. provislons'of the statutes, I haveillustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to. those skilledin the art that changes may be made in the fo'rm'of the apparatus disclosed without departing from. the spirit-of my invention asset forth in the appended claims and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat-' ent is:-

l. A sewing machine oiling system comprising an elevated oil reservoir having a multiplicity of oil outlets, means providing conduits for conveying oil from the different outlets to different bearings of the machine, the inlet ends of said outlets being enlarged to different degrees, and oil flow retarding means located in the enlarged ends of said outlets whereby said reservoir supplies oil to the different bearings at rates dependent upon the size of the enlarged portions of the different outlets.

2. In a sewing machine comprising a horizontally disposed shaft having a crank portion, a

connecting rod having a bearing portion at one end surrounding said crank portion and extending at an angle to the horizontal upwardly away from said crank portion and formed with a bearing at its upper end and with an oil channel connecting said bearings, the portion of said channel immediately adjacent the lower bearing being inclined to the plane including the axes of said bearings so that it opens toward rather than away from the direction in which oil on said crank portion approaches the channel, and means for supplying lubricant to said lower bearing.

3. In a sewing machine comprising a horizontally disposed shaft having a crank portion, a connecting rod having a bearing portion at one end surrounding said crank portion and extending at an angle to the horizontal upwardly away from said crank portion and formed with a bearing at its upper end and with an oil channel connecting said bearings, the portion of said channel immediately adjacent the lower bearing being inclined to the plane including the axes of said bearings so that it opens toward rather than away from the direction in which oil on said crank portion approaches the channel, and means for supplying lubricant to said lower bearing, said channel opening into a pocket in the concave wall of the lower bearing extending away from the channel in the direction opposite to the abovementioned direction.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination with a feed disc for advancing the work, a vertical shaft carrying said disc, upper and lower bean ings for said shaft, a toothed gear secured to said shaft between said bearings, a toothed gear in mesh with the first mentioned gear, and means for lubricating said bearings and the teeth of said gears comprising means for supplying oil to the upper bearing in such quantity that a portion of the oil supplied will flow down said shaft and onto; the upper side of the first mentioned gear, the latter:havingprovisions for diverting a portion of the oil reaching it to the lower bearing while permitting another portion to pass in'a film over the top of the gear to the teeth .of the latter.

5. In a sewing machine comprising a horizontal shaft, a rocker pivotally mounted on said shaft, a connecting rodinclined to the horizontal and having a pivotal connection at its lower end with said rocker, a pivotal connection tothe upper end of said connecting rod,-means for supplying lubricating material to the last mentioned pivotalconnection, said connecting rod being formed with an oil channel extending between said pivotal connections and formedwith a downwardly extending lateral branch open at its lower end, and said rocker being formed with an oil passage leading downward to said shaft, and having an enlarged upper end receiving oil dripping from the open end of said lateral passage.

6. A sewing machine oiling system comprising an elevated oil reservoir having a multiplicity of oil outlets, pipes for conveying oil from the different outlets to different bearings of the machine, the inlet ends of said outlets being enlarged to different degrees, an oil receiving space associated with each of said bearings, and oil flow retarding material located in the enlarged ends of said outlets and in said oil receiving spaces, whereby said reservoir supplies a gravity flow of oil to the difierent bearings at rates dependent upon the size of the enlarged portions of the different outlets and the amount of flow retarding material present.

7. A sewing machine oiling system comprising an elevated oil reservoir having a multiplicity of oil outlets, pipes for conveying oil from the different outlets to different bearings of the machine, the inlet ends of said outlets being enlarged, an oil receiving space formed in a part associated with each of said bearings, one of said parts having a limited movement relative to the corresponding supply pipe and the space therein being elongated sufficiently to continuously receive oil during its movement, and oil flow retarding material located in the enlarged ends of said outlets and in said oil receiving spaces, whereby said reservoir supplies a gravity flow of oil to the dilferent bearings at rates dependent upon the amount of flow retarding material present in the diiferent flow paths.

8. An oiling system for a sewing machine provided with a multiplicity of bearings and adapted to supply oil to said bearings at predetermined varying rates in accordance with the proper lubrication requirements of said bearings, said system comprising an elevated oil reservoir containing a normally quiescent body of oil and formed with a multiplicity of distributed outlets in its bottom wall, means providing conduits for conveying oil from the different outlets to the different bearings, the inlet ends of said outlets being horizontally enlarged in cross section in varying degrees in accordance with the oil requirements of the different bearings respectively supplied with oil through said outlets, and oil retarding means located in the enlarged end of each of said outlets, the maximum dimension of each of said enlarged outlet ends measured along any horizontal line being less than the distance along said line between points of intersection of said line with the reservoir side wall.

9. An oiling system for a. sewing machine having a multiplicity of bearings with different oil requirements, said system comprising an elevated oil reservoir with a multiplicity of outlet opens ings in its bottom Wall distributed both longitudinally and transversely of a horizontal line passing through said reservoir, means providing conduits for conveying oil from the different outlets to the different bearings of the machine, the upper ends of said outlet openings being formed with counterbore enlargements of cross sections varying in correspondence with the oil requirements of the respective bearings to which oil is conveyed from the different outlets, and an individual porous body located in, and restricting flow through each of said enlargements.

10. An oiling system for a sewing machine having a multiplicity of bearings with difierent oil requirements, said system comprising an elevated oil reservoir with a multiplicity of outlet openings in its bottom wall distributed both longitudinally and transversely of a horizontal line passing through said reservoir, means providing conduits for conveying oil fromrthe different outlets to the difierent bearings of the machine, the upper ends of said outlet openings being formed with counterbore enlargements of cross sections varying in correspondence with the oil requirements of the respective bearings to which oil is conveyed from the difierent outlets, and an individual porous oil body located in each of said enlargements for a vertical depth exceeding the diameter of the subjacent unenlarged portion of the outlet.

RAYMOND L. PLUMLEY. 

